Portable, self-contained cooking unit

ABSTRACT

A cooking unit is provided that is non-reliant on proprietary gas sources/containers, and includes a gas valve for interfacing with readily available, non-proprietary gas sources. The unit is ignited without the need for additional equipment such as, for example, a lighter or matches. The unit is configured to be able to heat items such as canned goods directly in their respective cans, thus being capable of accommodating foods in their already packaged state. The unit includes a layered wall system which provides efficient temperature separation between an inner wall proximate to an internal cooking chamber and an outer wall capable of being handled by a user. The unit includes a convection portion for providing convection heating to an item to be heated, and also includes a conductive heating portion for providing direct heat to the item to be heated, thus resulting in a dual action heating process.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present principles relate generally to cooking apparatus and, more particularly, to a portable, self-contained cooking unit.

BACKGROUND

Many circumstances present themselves where a portable cooking unit would be advantageous. For example, when camping, tailgating at a football game, or simply attending any event where invitees are expected to prepare their own food, a portable cooking unit would be ideal in order to provide a hot meal.

However, conventional portable cooking units suffer from many deficiencies. Turning to FIG. 1, a conventional cooking unit in accordance with the prior art is indicated generally by the reference numeral 100. The prior art cooking unit 100 includes a proprietary gas source/container 110, a burner unit 120, and a proprietary heating cup 130.

The proprietary gas source/container 110 functions as both a supply source for the cooking gas as well as a holding container for the cooking gas. Thus, in situations where ready access to such proprietary gas source/container 110 is not available, the prior art cooking unit 100 cannot be powered.

Moreover, in the prior art cooking unit 100, the proprietary heating cup 130 is used such that any items to be heated must first be placed into the proprietary heating cup 130 in order for the prior art cooking unit 100 to be able to be used as intended. Thus, in the case of a canned item to be heated, the can must first be opened, and then the contents of the can poured into the proprietary heating cup 130, in order for the can contents to be heated. Of course, and perhaps not so trivial (such as when camping), the proprietary heating cup 130 must ultimately be cleaned for a subsequent heating of different contents (for example, from a different can, especially when the can contents are different (e.g., meatballs in one can and claim chowder soup in the other can)). Moreover, in order to heat up multiple cans consecutively (for example, in order to feed a group of people), the physical structure of the prior art cooking unit 100 requires that the proprietary heating cup 130 be emptied each time for each subsequent use, thus possibly posing a problem of where to place the just heated content if the heated content has not yet already been consumed.

SUMMARY

These and other drawbacks and disadvantages of the prior art are addressed by the present principles, which are directed to a portable, self-contained cooking unit.

According to an aspect of the present principles, there is provided a portable, self-contained cooking unit. The portable self-contained cooking unit includes a housing, a cooking chamber, an integrated gas container, a gas regulator, a heating element, and an igniter. The housing has an outer wall, an inner wall, and a bottom portion. The cooking chamber is releasably disposed in the housing, and has a wall that is separated by an air space from the inner wall of the housing. The integrated gas container is fixedly connected to and disposed within the housing, for storing a combustible gas. The integrated gas container has an input and an output for respectively receiving and outputting the combustible gas. The input is accessible externally with respect to the housing. The gas regulator has a control valve with a user controlled actuator. The control valve is disposed within the housing and is coupled to the output of the integrated gas container for controlling a flow of the combustible gas there from to provide a regulated amount of the combustible gas responsive to a user selected position of the user controlled actuator. The user controlled actuator is accessible externally with respect to the housing. The heating element is connected to the gas regulator, and is for producing heat. The igniter is disposed within the housing, and is operatively proximate to the heating element for igniting the regulated amount of the combustible gas. The cooking chamber is configured to directly receive a container to be heated.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present principles will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present principles may be better understood in accordance with the following exemplary figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional cooking unit in accordance with the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an external view of a cooking unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a cross sectional view of the cooking unit of FIG. 2, in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an external view of an adjustable cooking chamber shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross sectional view of the adjustable cooking chamber shown in FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an external view of mating container for use with the cooking unit of FIG. 2 in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present principles are directed to a portable, self-contained cooking unit.

The present description illustrates the present principles. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the present principles and are included within its spirit and scope.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the present principles and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions.

Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present principles, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present principles means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present principles. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” appearing in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

It is to be appreciated that the use of the terms “and/or” and “at least one of”, for example, in the cases of “A and/or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A and B). As a further example, in the cases of “A, B, and/or C” and “at least one of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listed option (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listed options (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listed options (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listed options (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and B and C). This may be extended, as readily apparent by one of ordinary skill in this and related arts, for as many items listed.

As noted above, the present principles are directed to a portable, self-contained cooking unit.

Advantageously, a cooking unit in accordance with the present principles does not require a proprietary gas source/container. In an embodiment, an integrated gas container, having a gas valve for interfacing with readily available, non-proprietary gas sources, is used.

Moreover, a cooking unit in accordance with the present principles does not require electricity. In an embodiment, an ignition system is provided, so that the unit may be readily ignited in the field without the need for additional equipment such as, for example, a lighter or matches.

Further, a cooking unit in accordance with the present principles does not require a proprietary heating cup and all it attendant deficiencies. In an embodiment, the cooking unit is configured to be able to heat items such as canned goods (e.g., canned soup, and so forth) directly in their respective cans. Thus, embodiments of the cooking unit are capable of accommodating foods in their already packaged state, thus relieving the user from having to first open the can and empty the contents into another container that would ultimately have to also be washed. It is to be appreciated that heated can contents may be eaten directly from the heated can, without even having to remove the can from the cooking unit until after the user has eaten and the can has cooled.

In an alternate embodiment, a portable and removable heating container (also interchangeably referred to herein as a “mating container” and a “removable cooking chamber consumable holding insert”) may be used. However, unlike the prior art which requires a single removable heating container, the present principles are not limited to heating items solely using the removable heating container. Moreover, further unlike the prior art, the portable and removable heating container in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles may be sealable and, thus, allow for a consumable to be transported separate from the cooking unit to, for example, allow for cooled storage in a cooler until the consumable is ready to be heated. In this way, a plurality of portable and removable heating containers may be used to separately store (e.g., in a temperature and/or humidity and/or so forth controlled environment) food that, for example, may not be store bought but rather homemade. Such a portable and removable container is simply inserted into the cooking unit, similar to the can of a canned good, for heating.

In an embodiment, a cooking unit in accordance with the present principles may include a layered wall system, which provides efficient temperature separation between an inner wall proximate to an internal cooking chamber and an outer wall capable of being handled by a user.

In an embodiment, a cooking unit in accordance with the present principles may include a convection portion for providing convection heating to an item to be heated.

In an embodiment, a cooking unit in accordance with the present principles may include a conductive heating portion for providing direct heat to the item to be heated, thus resulting in a dual action heating process when used in conjunction with the convection heating portion.

In an embodiment, a cooking unit in accordance with the present principles may include a vented lid to allow for venting and expansion.

Turning to FIG. 2, an external view of a cooking unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles is indicated generally by the reference numeral 200. Turning to FIG. 3, a cross sectional view of the cooking unit 200 of FIG. 2 is shown.

The cooking unit 200 includes a housing 202. Footings 201 may be disposed on the bottom of the housing 202 to provide an air space between the bottom of the housing 202 and any surface on top of which the housing 202 is placed. Preferably, the footings 201 are manufactured from a heat resistant material.

The housing 202 includes a bottom portion 203, an inner wall 204, and an outer wall 205. The inner wall 204 and the outer wall 205 of the housing 202 are separated by an air space, in order to provide an insulating layer 291 there between and, thus, reduce the temperature of the outer wall 205 which may be handled by a user. In another embodiment, the housing 202 may include the bottom portion 203 and the outer wall 205, but not the inner wall 204.

Moreover, in an embodiment, a handle (not shown) may be disposed on the outer wall 205 of the housing 202 to provide an area of reduced temperature which may be handled by a user. Further, in an embodiment, the housing 202 may include vents 206. Also, in an embodiment, the bottom portion 203 of the housing 202 may include vents (not shown).

An adjustable heating chamber 210, in which heating of consumables is performed, includes a sub-housing 219 with a fixed bottom portion 211, and also includes an adjustable encapsulating portion (also interchangeably referred to herein as an “adjustment device”) 212. The fixed bottom portion 211 of the adjustable heating chamber 210 is for supporting a container (e.g., a can) in which a consumable is to be heated (hereinafter “container to be heated”). The adjustable encapsulating portion 212 is for adjusting to a size of the container to be heated.

The fixed bottom portion 211 is formed from the bottom of the sub-housing 319. The adjustable encapsulating portion 212 is attached to a wall 318 of the sub-housing 319.

The sub-housing 219 of the adjustable heating chamber 210 includes a wall 213. The wall 213 of the adjustable cooking chamber 210 is separated from the inner wall 204 of the housing 202 by an air space. The air space forms a convection or plenum layer 292 between the (outer portion of the) wall 213 of the sub-housing 219 and the inner wall 204 of the housing 202, to provide convection heating.

A conductive layer 293 is formed from the fixed bottom portion 211 of the adjustable cooking chamber 210 in order to provide conductive heating to the container to be heated.

In an embodiment, the sub-housing 319 is removable, to allow for thorough cleaning of the cooking unit 200. During heating, the adjustable heating chamber 210 may be inserted in the housing 202, within a volume partially encapsulated by the inner wall 204. The housing 202 includes internal projections 222 for maintaining a bottom of the adjustable heating chamber 210 a pre-specified distance from a heating element 280. The internal projections 222 limit the distance the adjustable heating chamber 210 can travel downward toward the heating element 280, when the adjustable heating chamber 210 is inserted in the cooking unit 200. Moreover, the internal projections 222 limit the distance the mating container 500, described in further detail with respect to FIG. 6, can travel downward toward the heating element 280, when the mating container 500 is inserted in the cooking unit 200.

A gas regulator 214, having an adjustment knob 216, is provided to allow a user to regulate an amount of gas to that is used for heating. In particular, the gas regulator 214 regulates an output of an integrated gas container 245 that is used to store the gas that, in turn, is used for heating by the heating element 280. Tubing and/or other gas connection devices 281 may be used to connect the outputted gas to the heating element 280. The heating element 280 may be, but is not limited to, a ceramic type burner element. A gasket 217 may be disposed at a mating location between the gas regulator 214 and the integrated gas container 245. Moreover, a heat shield 235 may be disposed between the heating element 330 and the integrated gas container 245 (and also optionally between the heating element 330 and the gas regulator 214). The integrated gas container 245 includes a gas valve 255, accessible from the bottom portion 203 of the housing 202, for interfacing with, for example, readily available, non-proprietary gas sources. An igniter 225 is provided to ignite the gas stored in the integrated gas container. The igniter 225 may be, but is not limited to, a piezo igniter.

A lid 230 is coupled to the housing 202 via a connecting device 232. The connecting device 232 may be, but is not limited to, a hinge. In an embodiment, a separable connecting device (including, but not limited to, a tongued hinge) is used, to allow the housing 202 and the lid 230 to separate from each other. In this way, ingress and egress is enhanced for cans and other items to be heated, and cleaning is more readily performed. Of course, other types of connecting devices may also be used, while maintaining the spirit of the present principles. Moreover, in another embodiment, the lid 230 is fixedly attached to the housing 202.

In an embodiment, the lid 230 includes vents 231 to allow for venting and expansion. In an embodiment, a locking device 237 maintains the lid 230 is a locked (closed) position with respect to the housing 202. The locking device 237 may be, but is not limited to, a spring loaded latch. A heat resistant gasket 240 may be disposed on the housing 202 (or the lid 230) for providing a seal between the lid 230 and the housing 202, when the same are locked together using the locking device 237.

An indicator window 260 provides a visual indication of whether the heating element is lit.

Turning to FIG. 4, an external view of the adjustable cooking chamber 210 of FIG. 2 is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles.

In an embodiment, the fixed bottom portion 211 and/or the wall 213 of the adjustable heating chamber 210 may include one or more cutouts 312. In an embodiment, the adjustable heating chamber 210 may include a handle 349.

In an embodiment, the sub-housing 319 of the adjustable heating chamber 210 includes a one or more protrusions 367 (including, for example, a continuous protrusion such as, for example, a ring) for providing an air space between the wall 318 of the sub-housing 319 and the inner wall 205 of the housing 202 corresponding to the convection layer 292.

Turning to FIG. 5, a cross sectional view of the adjustable cooking chamber 210 of FIG. 2 is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present principles.

In an embodiment, the adjustable encapsulating portion 212 is formed from a plurality of sub-portions 317. Each of the sub-portions 317 is fixedly attached to the wall 318 of the sub-housing 319 using a connection device 456, but is substantially flexible at portions disposed away from one or more attachment locations so as to automatically adjust to a size of a container (e.g., a can) placed there between. In another embodiment, the adjustable encapsulating portion 212 may include extendable contact arms (now shown) for contacting and securing the container within the adjustable heating chamber 210.

It is to be appreciated that in another embodiment, the sub-housing 319 may be omitted, and the fixed bottom portion 211 and the adjustable encapsulating portion 212 may then be attached to at least the inner wall 204 of the housing 202, or to the outer wall 205 of the housing in embodiments where the housing 202 does not include the inner wall 204.

In an embodiment, one or more of the plurality of sub-portions 317 is corrugated. Corrugated sub-portions 317 allow for conductive heat as well as convective heat to be applied to the container to be heated. In particular, protruding portions of the corrugation (with respect to the container to be heated) will directly contact the container to be heated thus providing conductive heat, while recessing portions of the corrugation (with respect to the container to be heated) will provide air spaces thus providing convective heat. Thus, the corrugated sub-portions 317 allow for simultaneous conductive heating and convective heating with respect to the container to be heated.

Moreover, in an embodiment, the adjustable heating chamber 210 includes one or more key mating portions 366 (or one or more key portions) for interfacing with one or more key portions 367 (or key mating portions) of a mating container (shown in FIG. 6) that may be used in place of a can in which a consumable to be heated was originally packaged, for example, in the case of consumables that are homemade, or are packaged in a container unsuitable for heating or unsuitable for use with the heating unit 200 (for example, because the original container for the consumable is too big to fit into the heating chamber 210). It is to be appreciated that the selection between which element from among the adjustable heating chamber 210 and the mating container 500 (shown in FIG. 6) is to have a male oriented part (i.e., the key portions 367) or a female oriented part (i.e., the key mating portions 366) is not fixed and, thus, in one embodiment, the adjustable heating chamber 210 may have the key portions 367 for mating with the key mating portions 366 of the mating container 500 while in another embodiment the adjustable heating chamber 210 may have the key mating portions 366 for mating with the key portions 367 of the mating container 500, all while maintaining the spirit of the present principles.

The key portions 367 may simply be one or more projections on one of the adjustable heating chamber 210 and the mating container, and the key mating portions 366 may simply be one or more corresponding receiving portions (e.g., recesses) on the other one of the adjustable heating chamber 210 and the mating container 500. In an embodiment where the adjustable heating chamber 210 includes corrugations as described above, one or more recesses corresponding to the corrugations may serve as the key mating portions.

Moreover, in a preferred embodiment, such keys are implemented in order to substantially secure the mating container within the adjustable heating chamber 210 for example using friction and/or so forth. The mating container is further described below with respect to FIG. 6.

Turning to FIG. 6, a mating container for use with the cooking unit 200 of FIG. 2 is indicated generally by the reference numeral 500. It is to be appreciated that the mating container 500 is also interchangeably referred to herein as a “removable cooking chamber consumable holding insert”.

As noted above, the mating container 500 is configured to fit within the adjustable cooking chamber 210. The mating container 500 may include a removable lid 510. In a preferred embodiment, the removable lid 510 is capable of providing an airtight seal with respect to the mating container 500. In this way, the mating container 500 may be used as a food store and transport. For example, the mating container 500 may be used to store leftovers, homemade consumables, and/or consumables whose original packaging is unable to be used with the cooking unit (e.g., the original packaging is too big or has an odd shape or is not a material that can be directly heated). The mating container 500 may be, for example, placed directly in a refrigerator, cooler, and so forth, until the consumable contained therein is ready to be heated. At that time, the removable lid 510 is removed, and the mating container 500 may be placed directly into the adjustable cooking chamber 210 in order to heat the consumable. In this way, the user may store and transport a consumable in the mating container 500 and later heat that consumable in the same mating container 500 (when placed within the adjustable cooking chamber 210).

In an embodiment, the mating container 500 may include a handle. Moreover, in an embodiment, the mating container 500 may include a removable insulating sleeve (not shown) that at least partially surrounds a portion of the mating container that may be contacted by a user in order to provide temperature insulation.

It is to be appreciated that a plurality of mating containers 500 may be used to sequentially heat a plurality of meals for different consumers, where as soon as a first meal is ready (sufficiently heated), a first mating container 500 used there for may be removed (optionally placed in the insulating sleeve 520) and used as an eating container, so that a next mating container 500 may be used to heat the next meal for a next consumer while the first meal is still being eaten out of the first mating container. This situation cannot be duplicated by the prior art cooking unit 100 of FIG. 1, which uses the same proprietary heating cup to both cook a consumable and then later contain the heated consumable for consumption.

These and other features and advantages of the present principles may be readily ascertained by one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art based on the teachings herein. It is to be understood that the teachings of the present principles may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, or combinations thereof.

Although the illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present principles is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art without departing from the scope or spirit of the present principles. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present principles as set forth in the appended claims. 

1. A portable, self-contained cooking unit, comprising: a housing having an outer wall, an inner wall, and a bottom portion; a cooking chamber, releasably disposed in said housing, and having a wall that is separated by an air space from the inner wall of said housing; an integrated gas container, fixedly connected to and disposed within said housing, for storing a combustible gas, said integrated gas container having an input and an output for respectively receiving and outputting the combustible gas, the input being accessible externally with respect to said housing; a gas regulator, having a control valve with a user controlled actuator, the control valve being disposed within said housing and coupled to the output of said integrated gas container for controlling a flow of the combustible gas there from to provide a regulated amount of the combustible gas responsive to a user selected position of the user controlled actuator, the user controlled actuator being accessible externally with respect to said housing; a heating element, connected to said gas regulator, for producing heat, an igniter, disposed within said housing, operatively proximate to said heating element, for igniting the regulated amount of the combustible gas; and wherein said cooking chamber is configured to directly receive a container to be heated.
 2. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, wherein the container to be heated is an original container for a consumable as provided by a manufacturer thereof.
 3. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, wherein a plenum layer is formed between the inner wall of said housing and the wall of said cooking chamber, for providing a convection heating action.
 4. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, wherein a conductive layer is formed from the bottom portion of said housing for providing a conductive heating action.
 5. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, wherein an insulating layer is formed from the air space between the inner wall of said housing and the outer wall of said housing.
 6. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 5, wherein a plenum layer is formed between the inner wall of said housing and the wall of said cooking chamber, for providing a convection heating action.
 7. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 5, wherein a conductive layer is formed from the bottom portion of said housing for providing a conductive heating action, in addition to the convection heating action.
 8. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, further comprising: a lid; and a connecting device for connecting said lid to said housing.
 9. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 8, wherein said connecting device is a separable connecting device for allowing said lid to separate from said housing.
 10. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 8, further comprising a locking device for locking said lid in a closed position with respect to said housing.
 11. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 10, wherein said locking device comprises at least one spring loaded latch.
 12. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 10, further comprising a heat resistant gasket, disposed on at least one of said lid and said housing, for providing a seal between said lid and said housing when said lid and said housing are locked using said locking device.
 13. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, further comprising an indicator for providing a visual indication that the cooking unit is operating.
 14. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, wherein said heating chamber comprises a fixed bottom portion for supporting the container to be heated, and an adjustable encapsulating portion for adjusting to a size of the container to be heated.
 15. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, wherein said heating chamber comprises a removable sub-housing that allows said heating chamber to be entirely removed from the cooking unit.
 16. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 15, wherein the fixed bottom portion is formed from a bottom of the sub-housing, and the adjustable encapsulating portion is attached to a wall of the sub-housing.
 17. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 16, wherein the adjustable encapsulating portion is formed from a plurality of sub-portions, each of the plurality of sub-portions being fixedly attached to the wall of the sub-housing, and being substantially flexible at portions disposed away from one or more corresponding attachment locations so as to automatically adjust to a size of the container to be heated.
 18. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 16, wherein the adjustable encapsulating portion is substantially corrugated.
 19. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 18, wherein corrugations of the adjustable encapsulating portion comprise recesses and projections, the recesses providing a convection heating action with respect to the container to be heated, and at least some of the projections being in direct contact with the container to be heated.
 20. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 1, further comprising a removable cooking chamber consumable holding insert for storing a consumable during transit thereof and for allowing heating of the consumable directly therein, to allow a user to selectively heat the consumable in an original container for the consumable as provided by a manufacturer thereof and in the removable cooking chamber consumable holding insert.
 21. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 20, wherein said cooking chamber and said removable cooking chamber consumable holding insert are each respectively keyed to allow the removable cooking chamber consumable holding insert to be inserted and secured in said cooking chamber.
 22. The portable, self-contained cooking unit of claim 20, further comprising an insulating sleeve for covering at least a portion of said removable cooking chamber consumable holding insert. 